Your Care Team at Pennsylvania Hospital
As innovators in patient care and treatment
techniques, the practitioners of Penn Ob/Gyn
Care at Pennsylvania Hospital have adopted a
new approach to caring for labor and delivery
patients. Termed the “laborist” model
of care, this approach offers increased on site
coverage of our labor and delivery unit to ensure
the highest level of care for mothers and babies.
The five Penn Ob/Gyn Care practices at Pennsylvania
Hospital — with over 30 experienced, board-certified
physicians and midwives — have adopted
a team-oriented approach to serving our patients.
In addition, the hospital has added several full-time
laborists to its staff. These two improvements
have enabled our obstetric providers to have
more routine schedules, resulting in better focus
and higher quality patient care.
The laborist model of care is a testament to
our commitment to continuously improve the experience
of our labor and delivery patients. Even though
Penn Ob/Gyn Care patients may not have a provider
from their practice deliver their baby, the laborist
model offers many alternative benefits to patients,
including:
- Dedicated team of providers available
on site, specifically for delivery, 24 hours
a day, seven days a week, dramatically cutting
back on providers' response time
- Increased staffing for added patient safety
for delivery
- Increased patient satisfaction
Pennsylvania Hospital has a long and deep-rooted
history of caring for women and their babies.
Since the first birth at Pennsylvania Hospital
over 230 years ago, the department of Obstetrics
and Gynecology has laid the groundwork for many
crucial advances in obstetric care, and we remain
committed to continuing that tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will deliver my baby?
The five Pennsylvania Hospital Penn Ob/Gyn Care
practices, with over 30 experienced, board-certified
obstetric physicians and midwives, adopt a
team approach to offering cohesive, quality
labor and delivery care. With the added support
of several full-time laborists, our providers
offer increased on-site coverage of labor and
delivery for emergent and non-emergent care.
What does the term “laborist” mean?
A hospital laborist is a physician whose sole
focus of practice is to care for patients during
labor and delivery, whereas office-based clinicians
traditionally manage prenatal and postpartum
care.
Who manages my prenatal care?
Throughout their pregnancy, patients continue
to see their practice-based obstetricians or
midwives at routine office visits.
When I go into labor, who do I call?
Contact the number provided by your ob/gyn practice.
Please contact your practice or ask for this
number at your next appointment if you do not
already have it.
When I go into labor, if the practitioner
delivering my baby is not from my practice,
will he/she have my health information?
Penn Ob/Gyn Care practices act as a team of providers,
focusing on continuity of care for patients.
Your health information will be available to
any physician or midwife caring for you throughout
your labor and delivery.
How does the laborist model of obstetric
care differ from the traditional way of staffing
delivery units?
Over the past ten years, many U.S. hospitals
have closed their obstetric units due to an increase
in malpractice insurance and poor reimbursement
rates from insurance providers. In the Philadelphia
region alone, 13 hospitals have discontinued
obstetric services. The remaining hospitals providing
obstetric care have significant increased delivery
volume. The laborist model of care ensures that
mothers and their babies have sufficient, experienced
care.
Who cares for my baby after delivery?
If
your baby has no health problems after birth,
he/she will stay with you in your room and/or
in our well-baby nursery. If your baby has any
health issues, he/she will be cared for in our
Level III Intensive Care Nursery (ICN). This
nursery is staffed by physicians from The Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia who are highly trained
in infant intensive care. A level III ICN offers
the highest degree of care for sick and premature
infants.
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